CT Nuke Changes Raise NRC’s Ire

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 @ 04:01 PM gHale

Dominion Resources Inc. failed over the past two years to receive approvals before changing various systems at its Millstone nuclear plant in southeast Connecticut, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officials said.

Millstone officials had an appropriate system for meeting its commitments to federal regulators, but they did not follow it often, the NRC said.

The audit found in 10 cases Dominion misused the process, treating federal requirements as if they were minor commitments.

Millstone’s actions did not pose a danger to the public, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the NRC. But he said the audit findings are unusual.

Millstone spokesman Ken Holt said Dominion is correcting the problems and the main issue concerns the failure to file paperwork documenting changes.

Earlier this month Dominion said Stephen E. Scace, a former Millstone official who had been in charge of the Kewaunee plant in Carlton, WI, was replacing site vice president A.J. “Skip” Jordan.

The NRC audit, conducted every three years, said Millstone officials had an appropriate system for managing commitments made to the agency, but they did not follow it.

“(Dominion) has taken no action … to correct this issue,” the audit stated.

The audit went on to fault Dominion for failing to track regulatory commitments, inadequate reporting to the NRC and ineffectively managing changes made to its commitments.

Sheehan said Dominion will have to follow up with on-site inspectors at Millstone to show they are making strides toward complying with the agency’s requirements, as outlined in the audit. Holt said the audit gave no specific timeline for coming into compliance with NRC procedures.

The same NRC office that licenses nuclear plants also conducted the audit, Sheehan said, and audit results go into consideration in the re-licensing process.

Millstone 2 has a license through 2035. Millstone 3’s license will expire in 2045.